The Impact of Covid-19 on Households and Firms in the MENA Region

FromMay 23, 2022 To May 24, 2022

Online Webinar

During one of the most turbulent beginnings to a decade in recent history, we have observed the spread of a global pandemic with unprecedented social and economic consequences. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take its toll on the MENA region, and while the region still accounts for relatively fewer cases, the numbers are rising. As countries strive to contain the virus, the economic repercussions and impact keep growing, leaving millions of workers vulnerable to income loss and layoffs.

The impact on income generating activities is especially harsh for unprotected workers and the most vulnerable groups in the informal economy, which constitutes a considerable share of economic activity and employment in MENA. Moreover, women are among the most affected groups, as women are over-represented in more affected sectors (such as education) or in occupations that are at the frontline in dealing with the pandemic (e.g., nurses) and will bear a disproportionate burden in the care economy, with the closure of schools and care systems.

Against this background, ERF has developed the COVID-19 MENA Monitor Survey, which is a wide-ranging, nationally representative panel survey. This series of bi-monthly short panel phone surveys, including multiple waves of interviews with the same respondents, allows for an accurate assessment of changes over time in this rapidly developing crisis. The range of questions monitor the effect of the crisis on households, workers as well as micro and small enterprises, and the ways in which households and enterprises are coping with the pandemic. The purpose of this panel survey is to provide data for researchers and policy makers on the socio-economic and labor market impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The ERF COVID-19 MENA Monitor Survey covers a number of Arab countries in the MENA region including Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, and Sudan.

This project was made possible by the generous contributions of the International Labor Organization (ILO), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the Government of the United Kingdom (formerly known as DFID), the World Bank and the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development (AFESD).

Furthermore, the ERF and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) set up a Research Partnership Collaboration to strengthen scientific knowledge and evidence-based dialogue for understanding the short-term consequences of the social and economic crisis generated by the pandemic. The aim of the collaboration was to provide a platform to answer some pressing questions regarding the impact of COVID-19 on people’s lives and firms’ behaviors and shed light on the coping mechanisms that have been taken to help them in these tough times. This project was led by Ragui Assaad (University of Minnesota and ERF), Caroline Krafft (St. Catherine University), and Mohamed Ali Marouani (Université Paris1-Panthéon-Sorbonne and ERF).

Under this collaboration, a call for proposals was launched on “The Impact of COVID-19 on Households and Firms in the MENA Region,” with a view to understand the consequences of the social and economic crisis generated by the pandemic. ERF received 53 proposals, and the review process led to the acceptance of six proposals, which were developed into six papers, and six policy briefs. Moreover, four policy briefs were developed by the project’s PIs, summarizing key findings and policy issues facing households, workers, farmers, household enterprises, caregivers and firms. The aim of the two-day webinar is to present the policy recommendations and the main findings of the project.

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Related papers and policy briefs:

Vladimir Hlasny and Shireen Alazzawi
- Paper on: First out, Last in Amid Covid-19: Employment Vulnerability of Youths in the Middle East
- Policy Brief on: Women And Youth Labor Market Outcomes During Covid19: Evidence From Egypt And Jordan
Zouheir El-Sahli and Mouyad Alsamara
- Paper on: Resilience in the Time of Covid-19: Lessons Learned from MENA SMEs
- Policy Brief on: Resilience in the Time of Covid-19: Lessons Learned from MENA SMEs
Amira El-Shal, Eman Moustafa, Nada Rostom and Yasmine Abdelfattah
- Paper on: Social Safety Nets and Food Insecurity in the Time of Covid-19: Selected MENA Countries
- Policy Brief on: Social Safety Nets and Food Insecurity in the Time of Covid-19: Selected MENA Countries
Lahna Idres and Moundir Lassassi
- Paper on: Populations’ Behavior Toward Covid-19 Safety Measures: Evidence from Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia
- Policy Brief on: Populations’ Behavior Analysis Toward Covid-19 Safety Measures: Evidence from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia
Anna Spinardi, Nigora Isamiddinova, Irene Clavijo and Kevin Henkens
- Paper on: Mental Health and Gender Inequality in the MENA Region: An Analysis of Shock Related Factors Within the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic
- Policy Brief on: Gender And Mental Health: Covid-19 Shock-Related Factors

Find out more on the project through the AFD website: https://www.afd.fr/en/carte-des-projets/impact-covid-19-households-and-firms-mena-region

May 23, 2022
May 24, 2022

Agenda

Session 1

Date

23/05/2022

Location

Online Webinar

Time

From 3:00 pm To 4:00 pm

Register here!

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Speakers

Research Fellows

Ibrahim Elbadawi

Managing Director, Economic Research Forum

Speakers

Hélène Djoufelkit

Director, Economic Diagnostics and Public Policy Department,...

Research Fellows

Hassan Aly

Dean, Business School, Nile University

Research Fellows

Ragui Assaad

Professor and Freeman Chair for International Economic...

Authors

Caroline Krafft

Associate Professor, Humphrey School of Public Affairs,...

Research Fellows

Mohamed Ali Marouani

Associate Professor, Université Paris1-Panthéon-Sorbonne

Policy Affiliates

Khalid Abu-Ismail

Senior Economist, United Nations Economic and Social...

Session 2

Date

23/05/2022

Location

Online Webinar

Time

From 4:00 pm To 5:00 pm

Register here!

Download full agenda

Speakers

Research Fellows

Hala Abou-Ali

Professor of Economics and Chair of the...

Research Fellows

Shireen AlAzzawi

Teaching Professor, Economics Department, Leavey School of...

Authors

Vladimir Hlasny

Economic Affairs Officer, UN Economic and Social...

Research Associates

Amira El-Shal

Acting Associate Director of Research, J-PAL MENA

Research Associates

Eman Moustafa

Research Manager, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank)

Authors

Nada Rostom

Research Associate, J-PAL Middle East and North...

Authors

Yasmine Abdelfattah

Assistant Professor of Statistics, School of Business...

Research Fellows

Racha Ramadan

Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics and Political...